Showing posts with label sumiyoshi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sumiyoshi. Show all posts

Saturday, January 6, 2024

Sumiyoshi Shrine Haiki

 


This Sumiyoshi Shrine is close to the edge of the water in Haiki near Sasebo, Nagasaki.


About 2 kilometers away, a bit inland, is another Sumiyoshi Shrine that is said to be the origin of this one. A mikoshi is carried between the two shrines during festivals.


It is not a particularly big shrine but seems to be very popular in the area.


Sumiyoshi shrines enshrine the Sumiyoshi Sanjin, the three kami of Sokotsutsu no o no mikoto, Nakatsutsu no o no mikoto, and Uwatsutsu no o no mikoto. Three "brothers" noted for their protection of seafarers.


The main Sumiyoshi Shrine is in Osaka, but it was originally a north Kyushu cult taken to central jaan by Jingu who is also enshrined in Sumiyoshi Shrines now.


The oldest shrine to the Sumiyoshi Sanjin can be found in nearby Hakata in Fukuoka, and also on the Iki Islands which suggests a connection to travel between the Korean peninsula and northern Kyushu, which also explains the Jingu commection.


I was visiting not long after sunrise on Saturday, March 8th, 2014 at the start of my 66th day walking around Kyushu.


The previous post was on the nearby Haiki Strait.







Monday, December 11, 2023

Giant Torii of Ryugu Sumiyoshi Shrine

 


Walking up Route 206, the main road up the western side of Omura Bay in Nagasaki, in the town of Seihi there is a giant vermillion torii straddling a side road.


The road leads to  Ryugu Sumiyoshi Shrine which is part of the Head Temple of Seicho No Ie, a "new" religion founded in 1930. The shrine and temple was established in 1978.


Said to combine elements of Shinto, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and various philosophies and psychologies, it claims to be a  monotheistic religion. The founder, Masaharu Taniguchi, claims to have had guidance from Sumiyoshi Okami, hence Ryugu Sumiyoshi shrines are associated with Seicho No Ie properties.


I did not venture up to the shrine on this trip though I had visited it on a road trip earlier. I can find no info on the dimensions of the torii.


The previous post in this series on day 65 of my Kyushu Pilgrimage was on sunrise a little earlier that morning.

Saturday, November 6, 2021

Kora Grand Shrine

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According to the shrine records, Kora Taisha was founded in 400 AD. Over the centuries it rose in rank and by the 10th century was a high-ranking shrine and the Ichinomiya of the province.


Enshrined here are a triad of kami, the central being Kora Tamatare no Mikoto, in al probability a local kami. He is now known as being a kami of martial arts, and also performing arts as a local form of kagura is said to have originated here.


The other two primary kami are Hachiman, and the Sumiyoshi kami. Both of these are originally north Kyushu kami, but I suspect they were added here at Kora Taisha after they became national kami, abd that adding them played a part in the shrine being "promoted".


The main building of the shrine date back to the middle of the 17th century. It is in Gongen Zukuri style, which was a heavily Buddhist-influenced style of shrine architecture that places the 3 separate parts of the shrine, the Honden, Haiden, and Heiden, under one roof.


During the same rebuilding, numerous Buddhist structures were also built, including a 5 storey pagoda, but all these would have been removed when the Meiji government "separated. " the Buddhas and kami


Thre are numerous secondary shrines within the main shrine grounds, and I also discovered a pair of fertility stones. Many people drive up to the shrine for the fantastic views down onto Kurume and out over the Chikugo River Plain.


Buy tatami direct from Japan

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Sumiyoshi Shrine, Mitarai


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Mitarai, on Osaki Shimojima in the Inland Sea grew into a major seaport in the mid 17th Century. Initially it was a good spot for boats to  wait for favorable winds and tides, but prospered by offering services that the sailors desired.

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The Sumiyoshi Shrine on the waterfront dates from this time.

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Sumiyoshi shrines are noted for offering protection for those undertaking sea journeys. The original Sumiyoshi shrine is in Hakata which was the main point of embarkation for mainland Asia. The Sumiyoshi shrine established in what is now Osaka, the main port serving the capitals of Yamato, is now considered the head shrine.

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The three main kami are the Sumiyoshi "brothers", Sokotsutsuno, Nakatsutsuno, & Uwatsutsuno, who according the the standard mythology were created when Izanagi purified himself after visiting Izanami in Yomi. It is possible they represent the three main starts of the Orion Constellation which were used for navigation. Later Empress Jingu was added,.

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Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Sasaguri Taiso-gu Shrine


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The large Torii along the road some distance before the shrine gives some indication of the importance of Taiso-gu locally.

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A local tourist website says that Taiso Gongen arrived here from China in 724. Another source says that pre Meiji the shrines name was Jimmu Taiso Shrine. Now the main kami is listed as Izanagi.

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There are another 6 kami listed here including Amaterasu, Hachiman, Sumiyoshi, & Hiyoshi, which suggest to me they were all later additions.

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Like many shrines in Kyushu the grounds contained some huge Camphor trees. Taiso Shrine is well known for its Kagura, one of the few places in Fukuoka where it still exists.

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Thursday, November 13, 2014

Chikuyo Shrine



Chikuya Shrine is a very ancient shrine near Iya in HigashiIzumo near the shore of the Nakaumi Lagoon. It is listed in the Izumo Fudoki which means it was in existence before the eighth Century. It is also listed in the 10th Century Engi Shiki which means it received offerings from the central government. It was moved to its current location in 1666 following a massive flood at its previous location about 1K south.


The primary kami of the shrine is Kotoshironushi, the son of Okuninushi who suggested that Okuninushi cede the land to the Yamato envoys. His main shrine is Miho Shrine not far from here on the Mihonoseki Peninsula. Nowadays he is equated with Ebisu.


The secondary kami enshrined here is named Hayatsumujiwake, and I can find absolutely no reference to him except that the Izumo Fudoki lists a Hayatsumuji Shrine, so I suspect that stood here originally until the Chikuya Shrine was relocated here.


As well as a covered sumo ring there are numerous secondary shrines within the grounds including a Tenman Shrine enshrining Tenjin, an Ise-gu enshrining Amaterasu, an Akiba Shrine for protection against fire, a Munetada Shrine, a Meiji era shrine with connections to the Kurozumi-kyo sect, an Inari Shrine, a Kizuki Shrine, Kizuki being the old name for the area where Izumo Taisha is located, a Konpira Shrine, and a Sumiyoshi Shrine.



Saturday, September 27, 2014

Arashima Hachimangu



Arashima Hachimangu is located right on Route 9. Hachiman is usually a trio of kami, Homuda Wake, the name of Emperor Ojin, is usually the primary, and the other two being taken from his mother, Jingu, his father, Chuai, or his wife, Himegami. Unusually this one lists Homuda Wake, Jingu, and Takeuchi Sukune, who was Jingu's minister.


It is a direct branch of the Usa Hachimangu. Almost two thirds of Hachimangu nationwide are branches of Iwashimizu. Like all the other shrine in this area there was a Zuijinmon which also had a pair of nice wooden komainu.


Again, like all the other shrines in the area there was an altar to Kojin, the most common kami in the region that hardly gets a mention in any sources on Shinto as it is neither national nor imperial. Represented as a rope snake, in my neighboring area the name is different, but it is just as prevalent and important.


There are several outcroppings of smooth, rounded rock in the grounds. The smaller one has a hokora to Sumiyoshi in a small hole carved into it.


The larger one has steps carved into it that leads up to an Inari Shrine.


Saturday, August 16, 2014

Umi Hachimangu


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Umi Hachimangu is located a little to the east of Fukuoka City. Like all Hachimangu, it enshrines primarily Ojin, the posthumous name of the "emperor" Homuda Wake.

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What is unique about this Hachimangu is that it is built on the site where, according to the ancient myths,  Homuda Wake was born, and the place name was changed to Umi, derived from the Japanese word for birth.

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Along with Ojin, his mother Jingu is enshrined. Often Hachimangu will have Ojins father Chuai and Ojins wife Himegami enshrined, but here it is Tamayorihime, who is sometimes considered to be an individual, and sometimes considered to be a generic word for Miko.

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While I was there a ceremony was going on. It may have been a Purification ceremony, but I suspect it more likely to be a ceremony to pray for safe childbirth, something this shrine is particularly known for.

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